Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Tank environment, debris, cover within the tank itself?

Fish Behaviour:
Question: Fish hiding behind single 1/2" PVC pipe used for skimmer.

There is no cover within the tank, save this PVC pipe and the water current is a torrent(3,500LPH). The fish must work 24/7; is this, "Behind the PVC" the place to be, if i was a fish? I thought it was shade but it's day and night. Do I need a pile of rocks or something? Do I need more hiding places/cover?
Pics:








I feel bad asking these questions here... So which of the How-To Packages should I buy? Plants, flood cycles, aeration, water quality and construction I feel somewhat good about. I'm weak in the fish knowledge area. I would like to avoid buying both packages if i can.

Thanks again,

Don_

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http://picasaweb.google.com/sdismang/Aq ... 6017143042

Holy PVC Batman!!

It would be a combination of both shade, and less turbulent water. Most of my fish will stay in the shaded side of the tank, even at night - they are like choocks

If you shade the water, you will get less greeness too.

As for the packages, I dont know.

water turbulence and air is good, to a point!

i think it would be logical to assume that the more energy a fish expends then the less weight it will put on per unit feed.

Thanks Outback, a sun cover/shade screen is on the to do list.

Hi Steve, thanks; that sounds logical to me also. I guess it's a fine line and each fish breed would have different tolerances to each. I guess with too much air they could suffer a Bends like condition. Ever heard of an OD on DO?

So more grow beds but with Hydrotons, lol no more gravel washing for me this year.

I was hoping when it gets cold; this treadmill method will have been proved effective, in that having these channel cats metabolism all jacked-up, when they start to put on weight this fall. I was hoping a sudden change in temp & turbulence would foster weight gain. This may be all fodder as a indoor environment would be better suited when chasing these few grams of weight.

Thanks man, this is going to be fun learning for sure!

yes on the OD on DO, but not in our situations more from ULTRA fine bubbles and moreso in salt water. bends do not apply

Super saturation can happen but as steve says, not usually in our situations. About the only things we are likely to see this happen might be if one were to rapidly heat saturated cold water or if your pump is sucking air and creating super fine bubbles in a water stream going back into the tank.

Another situation that can cause super saturation that is bad for the environment but not much issue here is when say a huge hydro dam plunges water deep down the pressure can super saturate the water.

Algae can push DO levels above 100% - been doing some reading on algae... Don't be concerned with the greenness it is a good thing - unless your specifically chasing aesthetically pleasing crystal clear water...

Myles

I would opt for minimal algae. It can play havoc with water parameters.

Major PH bouncing

Don't disagree Sleepe, but a little can be a sign of a very healthy system. Algae has a natural role to play in keeping things in balance, but as you suggest?, it can get out of control.

OBO, Assuming you're referring to my pool pH antics? - I suspect it wasn't the algae making it 'bounce', it was me fighting it the wrong way...

Yep, a bit of extra shade seems to be the best way to reduce algae. Trying to balance pH with chemicals while the algae is pulling it up and down (depending on the time of day) will cause all sorts of bouncing.

mylesau,,Yep algae is great especially for Tilapia who feed on it,,,but if you get a major algal bloom crash,,watch out,,,PH drops RAPIDLY and oxygen dissapears in a matter of a few hours and I'm talking in lakes that are thousands of square metres. A controlled algal bloom is the secret , takes a bit of know how ,,I'm talking fish farming not AP here.

Myles I was referring to no specific threads, just that major algae blooms will cause PH to move up and down substantially during a 24 hour period.

Algae on the walls is fine, and even required. However peasoup is not needed and can cause problems.